Sources of spice, smoke and sensuous pleasure - and that's before you have tasted the berries, dark chocolate and other palatable delights little wonder the popularity of shiraz keeps on growing, not only in South Africa but across the world.
This classic cultivar of the Rhone valley also flourishes in most New World winelands. To accommodate local demand, more is being planted, with the grape now occupying about 10 percent of Cape vineyard area.
Depending on its terroir and treatment, shiraz (or syrah, the top end of the market often prefers) delivers wines in a variety of styles, is available from bargain to pricey, and best of all, our cellars are releasing better quality examples every year.
Shiraz vines love heat, so it's not surprising to find them flourishing in the Swartland, Paarl and warm parts of Stellenbosch. Winemaker Alecia Hamman used grapes from the slopes of Kasteelberg for the 2007 Riebeek Cellar shiraz, a great partner for any meaty occasion.
An easy-drinking cinch at R30 from cellar door.
Riebeek also make a superior shiraz, dubbed A Few Good Men - the '06 has been released and it's easy to taste the benefits of longer ageing.
This calls for a leg of venison or good steak and is also good value at R50.
For just R2 more, Kleine Zalze offers a well balanced 2007 shiraz using Stellenbosch grapes, with added interest lent by 15 percent mourvedre, finished with five percent viognier.
The Golden Triangle is a tract of Stellenbosch land that yields top quality red wines, with shiraz from Stellenzicht one of the best known, and winemaker Guy Webber now synonymous with the cultivar.
His 2005 Golden Triangle shiraz, already sporting double gold from Veritas, recently added another gong from the Berliner Wein trophy.
In Zonnebloem's Limited Edition shiraz 2007, winemaker Bonnie van Niekerk has combined grapes from three Stellenbosch areas into a less robust wine, yet one that yields the classic characteristics and makes a very companionable partner to any red meat dish. It sells for R80.
When you pay more than R100 for your red, you have the right to expect elegance, balanced structure and complexity of flavour in your shiraz, and La Motte's '07 is unlikely to disappoint, selling at R117.
The estate winemaker Edmund Terblanche, who is chairperson of the local Shiraz Association, also produces a true aristocrat in his La Motte Pierneef.
Within its class, the R176 price tag is not excessive.
- There's a lone male among the five new Cape Wine Masters who received their diplomas at a ceremony hosted by the Cape Wine Academy last week.
They are Rolene Bauer, a scientist at the Institute for Plant Biotechnology at the University of Stellenbosch; Mary-Lyn Foxcroft, a director of a financial services firm in Johannesburg; Danielle le Roux, the one graduate who makes wine for her living; Eftyhia Vardas, a medical doctor and clinical virologist at the University of the Witwatersrand; and Duane Blaauw, medical doctor and health systems researcher at Wits university, .
- Licensed restaurants, large and small, are invited to submit entries for the 2009 Diners Club International Winelist of the Year Awards.
Entry forms are available online at www.dinersclub.co.za and must be submitted by July 17.
The results will be announced in September.